`Star Trek` Lives Long, Prospers And Wins Yet Another Fan

COMMENTARY

I`ve gotten hooked on those nightly re-runs of The Next Generation, rooting for the good guys and hissing at the villains.

I`ve seen most of the original show`s episodes from 25 years ago -- again and again.

I`ve even set the VCR to catch The Trouble With Tribbles when it came on during an all-night Trek marathon.

I can`t help but wonder if gradually, subtly I am becoming a Trekkie. Or Trekker, which is the cool way of expressing fanhood.

This revelation struck me a few days ago, probably because Star Trek mania has been sweeping the country with the release of the sixth and supposedly final movie.

I`ve found myself arguing with people whom I barely know about whether Capt. James T. Kirk or Capt. Jean-Luc Picard is a superior leader. I prefer the latter because he`s more cerebral and yes, more sexy, in a Sean Connery way.

I`ve picked up trashy tabloids while waiting at the supermarket checkout counter to check out whether William Shatner really wears a toupee.

I know in my heart that Data is a better character than Mr. Spock, even though the pointy-eared old-timer is one of my favorites.

I haven`t yet felt a terrible need to attend a Star Trek convention, but it`s no longer a laughable notion.

I`ve gradually found myself sucked into the world of Romulans, Klingons and Vulcans. Who knows what might happen next? U.S.S. Enterprise models? Fan club membership?

I tell friends it`s probably just a phase, something that will pass.

That`s because it`s embarrassing to admit that you`re hooked on a TV show. After all, ``serious`` people don`t give the tube a second thought, except maybe for PBS documentaries and the MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour.

It`s not exactly intellectual activity sitting around watching a bunch of guys in tight-fitting spandex outfits pull out lasers and zap monsters with big heads and bad teeth.

Then again, why shouldn`t adults have a teeny bit of old-fashioned fun, just like they did when they were kids?

I remember watching Flash Gordon reruns and squealing with joy every time Ming the Merciless appeared. I loved Superman, Batman and even an obscure sci- fi show called The Time Tunnel.

Today, box office receipts are proof enough that hordes of adults flock to see fantasy/adventure films. Many parents admit enjoying the Indiana Jones and Star Wars movies more than their kids. Besides, TV and films are an important part of popular culture, which really does impact politics, religion and education.

Kids who never gave The First Amendment a second thought got riled up about the Constitution when Madonna was banned from MTV because her video was deemed too hot to handle.

Talk show hosts argued about feminism when actress Demi Moore posed nude on a magazine cover when she was nine months` pregnant.

No, people weren`t interested in the educational aspects of watching a hearing. But they learned something about how government and the court system works in spite of themselves.

Star Trek is one of the few TV shows around that has become a part of that popular culture.

It`s more than just entertainment. It makes viewers think.

It always has been a series with a conscience and a vision. The original tackled such controversial issues as bigotry and war and peace. The new show explores moral questions, emotion vs. intellect, man`s inhumanity to man.

So what`s wrong with forgetting about recession, unemployment and the stresses of our hectic lives for an hour, sitting back and escaping into the world of the 24th century?

That way we can boldly go where no one has gone before, yet never leave our own living room.